


Those Damn Wedding Bells

by ironstrangepls



Category: Marvel Cinematic Universe
Genre: Alternate Universe - Office, Banter, Drunk Hookups, Enemies to Lovers, Fake/Pretend Relationship, Falling In Love, Fluff, Getting Together, Humor, Implied Sexual Content, M/M, Sexual Tension, Weddings
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-17
Updated: 2018-07-31
Packaged: 2019-06-11 17:33:09
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 16,304
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15320619
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ironstrangepls/pseuds/ironstrangepls
Summary: Tony works as a salesman in a local company. He does not enjoy it in the slightest, but not because of the workload or the boss, but because of  Stephen, his arrogant, egotistical pain-in-the-ass coworker, who sits right across from him. Tony wants nothing to do with the man - until an invite to his ex’s wedding shows up in the mail, with the “plus one” option. Fearing that he can’t show up to his ex’s wedding alone, he turns to the only person he can think of to accompany him, much to his own dismay.***There was only one person that kept coming to his mind, and each time, Tony tried to shake the thought out of his head. Stephen, Stephen, Stephen - his smug face kept flashing into his brain, taunting him. He did not want to bring Stephen.But he knew nobody else in his office that he was friendly with, besides his boss, and he was not taking his boss - that would just be weird.Tony sighed as he held the invitation in his hand.Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> I love to stress myself out so here's ANOTHER fic that I'm going to be working on. And yes, Blame and Saboteur are still going to be active, but I needed to write something that's not that angsty lmao.

Horns blared as Tony gripped his steering wheel, knuckles turning white out of sheer anger. A white Sudan decided to take it’s sweet ol’ time at a stop light while it was green, and the people behind that Sudan, including Tony, were  _ not happy _ that they were not going. He pressed on his horn again, and finally the car started to move, allowing Tony to release a sigh of relief. The clock was ticking - and he had five minutes before he had to clock into work - and luckily he was three minutes away. The white Sudan, however, had different plans, deciding to go twenty-five miles an hour in a thirty-five. Tony threw his head back against his seat, huffing in frustration.

 

He arrived at work with a minute to spare, bolting into the building and quickly clocking in. Tony let out a breath of relief when he made it just in time, wiped a bead of sweat off his forehead from sprinting. He walked towards his desk, slumping down and placing his cheap Dunkin Donuts coffee on the desk.

 

“You’re a little late.” A voice across from him muttered beneath his mug. Tony glared at him as leaned forward on the desk.

 

“Actually, I was right on time - not a minute to spare.” Tony grumbled, glancing at his computer and logging in. “And what did I say about talking to me, Strange?”

 

“You said not to, but I also don’t take orders from you, so, tough it up, buttercup.” He smiled smugly, placing his mug down. Tony gritted his teeth in annoyance. The man across from him was Stephen Strange, his arrogant and snarky coworker that he hated with a burning passion. He had dashing, blue eyes that could pierce right through a soul, and curly black hair with grey stripes on the side. His cheekbones were very prominent, suited just perfectly for his smug, cocky smile. Tony had been working at Shield’s tech for about five months, selling technological parts to various companies - and while it was cool, he did not think he would have to deal with Stephen Strange and his cockiness. His father had always told him that he had to be prepared to work with people he was not fond of, but goddamn, he would rather be hit by a bus than have to work with Stephen.

 

“You’re a cockshit, I hope you know that.” Tony spat, taking a sip of his coffee. It tasted cheap - oh well, it was enough to get him through the day.

 

“You tell me that every morning, of course I know that.” Stephen replied, opening his drawer and pulling out a few files. “Though I wish you would use more office appropriate language in your insults.”

 

“And I wish I didn’t have to come into work at seven in the morning just to sit across from your fugly face.”

 

“Ah, fugly.” Stephen leaned back in his chair. “I didn’t  _ realize _ we were using middle school level insults. In that case, yo momma so fat, when she fell on the sidewalk, I didn’t laugh, but the sidewalk cracked up.”

 

Tony scoffed and shook his head. “Fuck you.”

 

“Hey, I’m just using your level of humor, I’m sorry your brain can’t possibly comprehend anything past the eighth grade maturity.”

 

Tony scoffed a second time and didn’t respond, turning his entire attention to his computer, typing away at whatever assignment he was supposed to be doing. Stephen smiled, knowing he had won that morning’s argument. He picked up the phone and began calling a client, eagerly waiting to start the next sale.

 

The two were known as the “cat and mouse” people of the office. They would constantly be chasing each other around, always bashing heads and pulling dumb pranks on the other. Tony’s pranks would be more thought out and intricate, while Stephen would simply just make a fool out of Tony. It was a nuisance in the office, but it was one of the only sources of entertainment for their fellow coworkers. Their boss, Nick Fury, would sometimes threaten them with their jobs if they didn’t behave, and after  _ that _ slightly terrifying meeting, the pranking had ceased, and the two only batted heads while sitting at the desks. At any other point in time, Tony and Stephen ignored one another, pretending the other one didn’t exist and clog up the atmosphere.

 

It was not at all baffling to see why the two personalities clashed so much - for they were very much similar. Stephen was egotistical and full of himself, as was Tony Stark, Two very exasperating personalities in the same room radiated way too much power - especially for the other coworkers. 

 

Of course, in order to add to the rivalry, the two were extremely good salesmen, each competing to become the number one in sales for the month every month, and it was usually one of the two. Number one would get a bonus and bragging rights and number two would be laughed in their face by number one. A cliche rivalry - of course, every office has one.

 

It wasn’t long before Stephen muttered to Tony to “get his shit off of his desk or so  _ help me _ .”

 

Tony rolled his eyes and sat up, glancing at his items. “My shit isn’t even on your desk. You’re pathetic.”

 

“No, look.” He pointed to a pencil holder that was on his side of the desk. “Move it, Stark.”

 

“You’re so goddamn petty sometimes, I swear.” Tony murmured, grabbing his pencil holder and moving it two inches towards him. 

 

“I just don’t want your crap on my desk, I’m already infected by your presence, I don’t need your gross items either.”

 

“Oh, and I’m the one with middle school humor? You’re acting like I have cooties or some shit.” Tony retorted, tapping his pencil on his notepad. “Grow up, buddy.”

 

“I can’t believe you have the nerve to tell me to grow up.” Stephen muttered, picking up the phone. “Excuse me, Tonsils, I gotta take this.”

 

_ Tonsils? _ Tony grimaced at the other man’s name choice for him - he knew he shouldn’t show a reaction, showing a reaction makes Stephen all more powerful, but goddamnit, this man was a pain in the ass. 

 

If only Stephen wasn’t such a good worker - he could have been fired and replaced with another person who was kinder and less of a cocky asshole. But no, instead Stephen had to be perfect, with his perfect work ethic and his perfect, smug, smile and his perfect fucking eyes and -

 

_ No. _ Oh no. Tony shook his head, getting rid of those thoughts. He wanted absolutely  _ nothing _ to do with those eyes. 

 

Tony’s phone rang and he picked it up quickly. “Hello, Shield’s Tech, Tony Stark speaking, how may I help you?”

 

“Hello, I’m interested in a few of your printer parts, can you explain to me your prices?” The voice on the other line asked, and Tony smiled - a sales opportunity. 

 

Tony was extremely charismatic - it’s what placed him into the sales world in the first place. From a young age when he was in Boy Scouts, he was able to sell the most amount of popcorn in the group, and won big prizes. He had a natural talent for it, which is luckily the reason why he landed a job so soon out of college. 

 

What he hadn’t realized, however, was that there would be a man in the same boat as him sitting right across the desk, doing just as well as he is, and if not, better. It irritated Tony to no end, knowing that Stephen was his equal. 

 

While he talked to his new, potential client, Tony studied the man across from him. He had on a white and blue-striped dress shirt with a black tie. A loose curl from his hair dangled in front of his face. He talked in a suave, comfortable way, with a voice that easily persuaded potential buyers. Charismatic, charming, it was almost as if Tony was staring at his own reflection.

 

“Thank you so much, Tony. You were fantastic.” 

 

Tony smiled at the compliment. “Thank you, you will not regret having Shield’s Tech as your company and friend. Enjoy your day, sir.” He hung up the phone, glancing up to find Stephen staring at him with his usual, smug face.

 

“Take a picture, sweetheart, it’ll last longer.” Tony snarked, smirking as he typed something on his computer.

 

“You just never have anything nice to say, do you?” Stephen retorted, raising an eyebrow. 

 

“Not true, I just made a sale, and I said loads of nice things.” The shorter man stood up and stretched. “I just don’t say anything nice to you, because, well, you’re you.”

 

“How specific.”

 

“Do I need to be? I don’t think I have the time.”

 

“Please, I would rather kill myself than have to listen to you.” Stephen muttered, taking another sip of his tea.

 

“That’s cute, because you’re the one who started the conversation.”

 

“Actually, that was you, you made a snarky comment.” Stephen corrected, and Tony shrugged.

 

“Well, if you weren’t staring at me - I wouldn’t have made said comment. I mean, I know I’m irresistible and all-”

 

Stephen held a finger up and stood up in his chair. “I’m going to stop you right there, I can’t have you being too full of yourself.” He grabbed his mug and started walking towards the break room where the tea bags were. Tony scoffed to himself as he watched the taller man go, and he sat back down, huffing. Man, he wanted to just go home and relax on his couch and watch some TV. He checked his watch. Only six more hours to go.

 

“Tony, can I see you for a minute?”

 

Tony glanced up and saw his boss towering over him. He got up slowly and nodded, following the bigger man into his office. Nick gestured him to take a seat and he obliged, shifting uncomfortably in the chair as Nick sat down at his desk and stared at him.

 

“I just wanted to have a little chat with you, one on one,” Nick began. “Your coworkers have been complaining about you and Stephen a lot lately, saying the arguing is a little too much to handle. I thought I had asked you two to stop this.”

 

“Sir, I’m sorry. It’s just that we don’t get along. We butt heads.” Tony explained, shrugging. “I’m sorry everyone is annoyed, but I gotta be honest, I’m annoyed by it as well. I mean, it would be nice to come into work and not clash with the man across from me, you know?”

 

“I get that, Tony, but a part of life is working with people you don’t get along with.” Nick continued, leaning over. “That’s the only reason why I’ve kept you two in the same area, I was hoping you’d be mature enough to eventually get over your differences, but at this time, I’m not seeing any of that happening anytime soon.”

 

Tony glanced down, avoiding the darting stare of his boss. “I’m sorry, sir. It’s just difficult to be around him and not argue.”

 

“I can see that.”

 

“And with all due respect, sir, I don’t see how this is just my fault as well - I mean, he argues with me as -”

 

“I know, Tony, I only called you in first because I saw you at the desk.” Nick explained, motioning towards the desk through the office window. “I will call him in afterwards.”

 

“Okay,” Tony replied.

 

“Look, Tony, you both are excellent workers and I’m grateful to have you working for this district, but I really need you guys to tone it down a bit. I can’t have this hostile environment in this office, okay?”

 

“Yes, sir. I understand.”

 

“Good, now get out and get back to work. I got another motherfucker to deal with.” He smiled and pointed towards the door, and Tony returned the smile and exited the office, with Nick following him. Stephen glanced up and saw Nick pointing at him and motioning him to come to the office. He got up and as he passed by Tony he muttered a “what did you do?”

 

“Nothing.” Tony spat out in a whisper. “It’s about us, though.”

 

Stephen glared at the shorter man and continued to walk into the office, Nick closing the door behind him.

 

***

 

The two remained silent for the rest of the day, both only talking to each other if they needed to borrow something, which was rare. Nick had caused them both a minor scare - which was fine by Tony - the less he had to interact with Stephen, the better.

 

He did wish, however, that Nick would just move Stephen to another desk in the office, but Nick was too much of a challenging guy - he wanted the two to eventually work together in ways they did not want.

 

The end of the day came by, and Tony immediately took off, grabbing his things and not muttering a snark to Stephen like he usually did. He got into his car and breathed, exhaling and trying to release the built up tension from the work day. He was curious as to what Stephen had been told by Nick, and wondered if it was the same speech Nick had said to him. Tony did not want to ask him, however, the last thing he wanted to do was have a conversation with Stephen, especially so soon after the reprimanding he had just gotten.

 

Tony drove home, taking back roads as to avoid rush hour traffic. It took a longer time, but it was infinitely better than waiting at a stand-still on the highway, bumper to bumper and barely moving. He arrived at his apartment, and stopped to check his mailbox. Inside was a beautiful, white envelope addressed with his full name. He checked the return address and instantly knew what it was.

 

He quickly bolted up the stairs to the second floor apartment he had, and opened the door. Tony opened the envelope and pulled out a blue wedding invitation. It was for Steve Rogers and James Barnes. Steve Rogers was Tony’s ex boyfriend from his earlier years of college - they had been roomates that had fallen in love, but unfortunately, things hadn’t worked out and they parted mutually, still remaining friends. He had since lost touch with him a few years later, but this wedding invite proved that he was definitely doing better than Tony was. 

 

Tony glanced at the name on the envelope. It was addressed to him  _ and _ a plus one, and Tony felt a sense of panic run through his veins. A date - he had to get a date. He couldn’t  _ dare _ show up to his ex’s wedding without a date - but who?

 

He looked at the wedding information - it was located in California at a beautiful hotel. Tony had some money leftover from college as well as some work money saved up - he could easily afford to pay for himself as well as his plus one - but who could  _ possibly  _ be his plus one?

 

There was only one person that kept coming to his mind, and each time, Tony tried to shake the thought out of his head. Stephen, Stephen, Stephen - his smug face kept flashing into his brain, taunting him. He did  _ not _ want to bring Stephen.

 

But he knew nobody else in his office that he was friendly with, besides his boss, and he was  _ not _ taking his boss - that would just be weird.

 

Tony sighed as he held the invitation in his hand.

 

Well, it wouldn’t hurt to ask.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> It's so funny because literally all of my works are enemies to lovers. Guess I have a kink idk ¯\\_(ツ)_/¯

Tony arrived at the office relatively early - sitting at his desk and getting started with his work before Stephen had even showed up - it was unusual for him - but Tony couldn’t help but feel a sudden wave of anxiety when he woke up this morning. He was a little anxious to ask Stephen to go to the wedding - it was completely out of the blue and the two absolutely despised one another. Tony  _ wished _ he had friends in the city - but having just moved five months ago, he hadn’t had much time to make friends. The only two people he had gotten to know was Nick Fury - his boss, and Stephen, whom he hated. 

 

His need to prove to his ex that he was doing well entirely outweighed any hatred he had for Stephen - but he somehow needed to convince Stephen to go. Tony knew he had a talent for persuasion - but because he was trying to sell to Stephen, who was is equal, it might be a little bit more difficult than he wanted - which caused the anxiety to pump through Tony’s veins.

 

When Tony ever felt anxious, he usually couldn’t sleep - so he was up and about early this morning - which had allowed him to get to work early. He was silently hoping that Stephen would take notice of that fact and make some snide comment - which could start off their conversation.

 

Stephen eventually walked through the office doors, clocking in and sitting across from Tony. He raised his eyebrows at Tony, who was already typing away on a spreadsheet.

 

“Who are you, and what have you done with Tony Stark? He’s never here this early.” He stated, and Tony let out a smile - exactly what he had hoped for.

 

“I decided to actually get myself together this morning.” Tony smugly replied, crossing his arms as he leaned back in his chair. 

 

“That’s highly unusual. You feeling sick there, Tonsils?”

 

“Stop calling me Tonsils, it’s disgusting,” Tony grimaced. Stephen held his hands up.

 

“Stop calling me Stephanie, then.”

 

“No can do, Stephanie.” Tony smirked, and leaned forward on his elbows, staring intently at Stephen. Stephen backed away in his seat, raising an eyebrow.

 

“Why...why are you staring at me like that. I’m a little creeped out.”

 

“Good. That was my plan.” Tony grinned - adding more to the creepiness.

 

“Stop that.”

 

“No.”

 

“You’re fucking weird.” Stephen muttered, looking down and avoiding Tony’s unsettling stare. Tony smirked at the gesture, knowing he had won that round of...well, banter. He cleared his throat and smiled again, causing Stephen to glance up.

 

“So, Stephen - how would you like an all expenses paid trip to California? You’d live in a beautiful hotel with a nice pool and bar and-”

 

“Woah, woah woah, hold up.” Stephen leaned forward. “What are you talking about?”

 

“I’m asking you if you want to go to an all expenses paid trip to Cal-”

 

Stephen huffed in annoyance. “I  _ get _ that. I heard you.”

 

“I’m just wondering.”

 

“So you’re  _ not  _ actually offering me a trip - you’re just trolling me.” Stephen rolled his eyes and looked down again. “Get a life, Stark.”

 

“But what if I actually  _ am  _ offering you the trip?”

 

Stephen’s head shot up as he narrowed his eyes, his face painted with suspicion. “What are you  _ really  _ doing?”

 

“Honest. Offering you a trip. Take it or leave it.” Tony held his hands up and flashed his dazzling smile, the one he uses when he has to meet face to face with clients - it usually never fails.

 

“Are you just trying to get me out of the office so you can get this month’s bonus?” 

 

“That’s stupid,” Tony blinked, shaking his head. “Look, it’s a real deal. California. Weekend of August 4th. Take it or leave it?”

 

Stephen raised an eyebrow - not fully convinced of Tony’s motives. “Normally, if it were anyone else - I would take it, but because it's you, and you are offering me a fully paid trip to California out of the blue even when you hate me, is pretty damn suspicious.” He explained, leaning forward and narrowing his blue eyes. “So tell me, Tonsilitis, what’s the catch?”

 

Tony sighed and leaned back. “Youhavetobemyplusoneatawedding,” he muttered rapidly - Stephen rolled his eyes.

 

“Repeat it, slower, Stark. You’re really testing my patience here.”

 

“You have to be my plus one at a wedding.”

 

Stephen stared at Tony, a blank expression on his face - making it unreadable. Tony could feel his palms sweat - and then Stephen started to laugh - hysterically. Tony scowled and crossed his arms.

 

“Hey, are you gonna let me explain?” Tony asked, and Stephen nodded, still bent over in laughter.

 

“Yeah - sure, just,” he takes a breath. “Me? Of all people? You want to take  _ me? _ ”

 

“I don’t  _ want _ to take you, dipshit. You’re the last person I want to take. But you are the only person that I  _ can _ take.”

 

“Who says you  _ have _ to take someone?”

 

“ _ Me, _ ” Tony breathes. “It’s my ex’s wedding. Alright? I got an invite in the mail yesterday.”

 

“Ooh, your  _ ex’s _ wedding.” Stephen teased, causing Tony to clench his fists.  _ God, he hated this man. _

 

“We dated in college, we were roommates, but had broken up mutually. We saw different things, ya know, that kinda bull crap. Anyway we had kept touch through college but afterwards, we lost touch. I hadn’t heard from him until I got this wedding invite. Addressed to me and a plus one.” Tony sighed once more. “Anyways, I recently moved here and I don’t have any friends yet - I really only know you and Fury, and I think I’d rather die than take Fury, so here I am, asking you.”

 

“Okay, yes, I get that, but it doesn’t answer my question.” Stephen tapped a pen on the desk. “Why do you need a plus one? Why can’t you go alone?”

 

“Because I don’t want him to think he’s better off than I am.” Tony made a motion around them - a gesture to point out the office. “Look at me, I’m working at this job - and it’s good and I like it, it’s just not...I’m just not where I want to be yet. I figured I could bring someone so I at least have  _ something _ going for me.”

 

“Hmm.” Stephen leaned back in his chair, studying Tony.

 

“Oh come on, this isn’t a job interview.”

 

“But it  _ could  _ be.” Stephen smirked, his tone filled with tease.

 

“Look,” Tony leaned forward, staring directly into Stephen’s eyes. “You can pretend - you’re a sales guy, and you’re attractive to, we could be pretty convincing as dates.” He flashed his signature smile.

 

“I admire the compliment, but to be on vacation with you? In the same hotel room? Sounds difficult, to say the least.”

 

Tony huffed, rolling his eyes. “It’s literally a free vacation - I’ll get us a hotel room with two separate beds, we don’t even have to hang out - you can do your own thing. We just have to be at the wedding together, and occasionally hold hands and say we’re dating - I don’t know - that kind of crap. If I were you right now, I would take it in a heartbeat.”

 

“Okay, but only because you said I was attractive and flashed your stupid sales smile.” Stephen muttered, his eyes teasing.

 

“What can I say?” Tony leaned back and grinned. “I’m a great salesman.”

 

“You’re a great pain in the ass, that’s what you are,” Stephen mumbled. 

 

“I promise you Stephen, it’ll be easy and painless. I’ve done it before.” Tony reassured, going into his bag and pulling out some files for clients. “It’ll be fun - and we will only be together for that one wedding. The rest of the weekend we can be as far away from each other. And remember, I’m giving you this for free. You don’t have to pay a single cent.”

 

“I mean, I’d be fucking stupid to not take this trip,” Stephen shrugged. “It’s just - being around you? Pretending to be your boyfriend? That’s a lot to ask for.”

 

“I like to think I’m not that bad - I think you’re relatively worse.”

 

“Watch it, Tonsils, or I won’t go.” Stephen taunted, and Tony rolled his eyes.

 

“You’re going to hold this over my head, aren’t you?”

 

“I don’t know - I was thinking that’d be  _ too _ mean.” He chewed on the tip of his pen, making a smouldering face - and that somehow, in  _ someway, _ sent a shiver down Tony’s spine. “I’ll go, Tony. It seems like a fair trade. I get a free vacation, you get your date.”

 

“Shake on it, Stephanie.” Tony held out his hand.

 

Stephen reached over and gave his hand a firm handshake. “Weekend of August 4th?”

 

“Yes. Bring a nice suit - it’ll be fancy.”

 

Stephen nodded in response and put up air quotes. “Alright. It’s a ‘date.’” 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> be sure to leave dem kudos if u like my work ;D


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm just putting a warning, the chapters are going to be long - hope you all don't mind that!

An alarm blared through the room at five o’ clock in the morning. Tony woke up with a groan, cursing under his breath. The two were leaving for California - their flight was at nine, and Tony wanted to be at the airport two hours before the flight. 

 

In order to prevent more time being spent with one another, Tony and Stephen are taking separate cars to the airport - and Tony had sent the link for flight seats and told him to choose someplace random so they would not have to sit next to each other. 

 

Tony got up out of bed and took a couple of deep breaths in the mirror - he knew he was going to see Steve once they arrived at the hotel - and he was nervous. What if Stephen and him clashed too much to pretend to date? What if Stephen purposely acted terrible to sabotage everything? He shook his head - Stephen might be an asshole, but he knew his side of the deal. Besides, if Stephen wasn’t going to act like they were dating - Tony was just going to send him a bill.

 

The two had set boundaries - no kissing unless it was absolutely necessary, and even if it was, no more than a peck. Hand holding to a minimum, only when in front of Steve. Nothing bad to say about the other - only good things that cute, sappy couples would say. When asked how they met they would say the office - and when asked how they started dating they would say that Tony was the one who asked him out, which he originally objected, but according to Stephen, he “technically asked him out by being a fake date, so it’s only natural,” to which Tony grumbled that he was right. 

 

The one thing that Tony was nervous to tell Stephen was the hotel room bookings - there were no two bed suites left when he went on the website - only single beds. A nightmare, that Stephen would probably throw a fit about. Tony had to offer to take the floor or the chair - it seemed as though he really was sacrificing a lot just to pretend to date someone. 

 

He wasn’t sure how he was going to break  _ that  _ news to Stephen - he didn’t want to wait until they got to the hotel room so he’d have to tell him while they waited at the gate.

 

Tony pushed the thoughts into the back of his mind. This was going to be a nice vacation for him - even with Stephen. The hotel was nice and the wedding sure sounded fun, and of course, California was beautiful. He was not going to let Stephen get to him - they were there to pretend to date, after all. He would have to suck it up.

 

Tony stepped into the shower, wanting to freshen up before he was on a plane for six hours. While in the shower, he studied himself - he had been going to the gym occasionally and it had showed - his muscles were toned around his arms and there were a hint of ab muscles that could be seen on his stomach. His mind drifted to Stephen - Stephen had once worn a rather tight dress shirt one day - and even if the man looks to be a stick, the toned arms that poked through that shirt said otherwise. Tony remembered feeling drawn to them, like a moth to a light, much to his embarrassment. 

 

He huffed - he had to admit Stephen was attractive - and he  _ hated  _ it. No man who was that prideful and arrogant should be attractive on top of it - it pissed Tony off to no end. Stupid, perfect, Stephen.

 

But Stephen being attractive was a good thing, now that Tony was using him as a pretend date. It would show Rogers that Tony can find someone as attractive as Steve, and a voice in the back of Tony’s mind kept telling him that perhaps he was a little bit  _ more _ attractive.

 

Tony turned off the shower, stepping out and drying himself off. He glanced at his figure in the mirror and leaned forward - he should probably trim his facial hair and make it neater before the wedding - but was deciding between doing that right before it or doing it at that moment. He decided to wait until right before the wedding - so it could be neatly shaped.

 

His phone buzzed loudly on the bathroom counter. He picked it up, wondering who could be texting him this early. Tony raised an eyebrow when he saw Stephen’s name pop up, and swiped up to unlock his phone and read it. Stephen had texted Tony to ask which airport it was - and Tony quickly responded back, saying it was JFK airport.

 

Tony put on an old t-shirt and some jeans - he didn’t plan on dressing up for a plane ride. He glanced at the time - 5:30. He had time to grab some breakfast before heading out to the airport. Going to the pantry, he pulled out some cereal and milk. Tony sat in silence, quietly eating his cereal as he checked the news on his phone as well as his flight status. No delays, everything seemed to be good.

 

He left the house around 6:15, leaving him enough time to find parking - he knew it wouldn’t be  _ too  _ expensive - as he was only leaving for a couple of days. Tony slumped into the airport, still exhausted from waking up earlier than usual. Security was not a breeze, despite the early flight time. There were a lot of flights all around the same time, so security was packed. It was tedious, as all security checkpoints are, with on-edge TSA agents who always seem like they had a bad day, and screaming children who don’t know  _ why _ they have to take their shoes off. It was enough to give Tony a headache.

 

He got to the gate,  _ finally _ , and there were only a few people waiting there - no sign of Stephen. Tony collapsed in a chair and sighed, rubbing his head with his hands. He pulled out his phone to check the time - 7:30 - about an hour until boarding. 

 

“Hey  _ boyfriend _ .” A voice sneered from behind him, and Tony’s head shot up. Stephen sat in the chair across from him and leaned into it.

 

“Not yet, we ain’t there yet.” Tony muttered, and Stephen chuckled.

 

“I know, I’m just getting into character,” he smirked. “It’s more difficult than I imagined. Calling you my boyfriend just is-“

 

“Gross, I know, but again, just for the wedding.” Tony interrupted, and he gulped as he remembered what he had to tell Stephen. “Hey, uh, I need to break some bad news to you.”

 

Stephen raised an eyebrow. “Go on.”

 

“When I went to book the hotel, they didn’t have any two bed suites left, so I, uh, had to get one with a single bed. But don’t worry, I’m gonna sleep on the floor.”

 

Stephen groaned, rolling his eyes. “Goddamnit, Stark.”

 

“I’m sleeping on the floor, don’t even complain, you get the bed.” Tony reminded, a little more relaxed.

 

“I get that - it’s fine. I  _ wish  _ we had two separate hotel rooms.”

 

“I do too, the less I spend time with you, the better.” Tony grumbled, pulling out his phone. “Hey, I forgot to ask you, but where are you sitting?”

 

“12F.” Stephen replied, and Tony groaned rather loudly.

 

“You dumbass...when I told you to pick a seat I meant far away from me.”

 

“Okay, well, first off, I didn’t  _ know _ what seat, so I had to guess, and second, don’t tell me that means-“

 

“I’m 12E. Right next to you.” 

 

The two collectively groaned, with Stephen sighing. “Fuck, you should have told me where you were sitting.”

 

“I figured you’d choose someplace in the back.” Tony muttered. “We probably chose around the same time because the two seats were open for me.”

 

“Fucking hell - I don’t want any more interactions with you than I have to.” Stephen moaned, leaning back in his chair and covering his face with his hands.

 

“Oh, don’t be dramatic, it won’t be that bad.” Tony grinned, flashing his signature smile. “We might become friends!” Stephen started choking.

 

“Now you’re scaring me.”

 

“I know, I wanted to see your reaction - it was worth it.” Tony chuckled, leaning against his arm rest. “But look, I don’t think it’ll be a good idea for us to argue on the plane - could get loud and nasty.”

 

“Yeah,” Stephen breathed. “I agree. Whoever is in the seat next to us will probably want to murder us.”

 

“I hope they kill you first.”

 

“But then you won’t have your date and your ex will know how much of a damn loser you are,” Stephen smirked.

 

Tony scowled. “Fuck you.” He muttered, realizing he was right. “I honestly can’t believe you agreed to this.”

 

“Why not? Free vacation? A wedding? It’s fun.” Stephen smiled wide. “I’d be a fool to deny this.”

 

“You already are a fool.”

 

“I feel like you’re more of the fool for not making any friends and being forced to take the man you hate.” 

 

“Oh yeah?” Tony leaned forward and snarled. “And what friends in the office have  _ you  _ made?”

 

Stephen’s smile faded as it turned into a scowl. “Not my fault I’m too good at my damn job and beat them out.”

 

“At least until  _ I  _ came along.” Tony smirked - praising himself for his remark.

 

“I still beat the rest of them out, it’s just occasionally  _ you _ beat me.”

 

“Eh, most of the time.”

 

“Oooh, I hate you.” Stephen shook his head. “Snarky, arrogant bitch.”

 

“Be careful there, it sounded like you were describing yourself.” Tony retorted, grinning.

 

Stephen took a breath to calm himself. “Perhaps we should just stay silent until we get to California. I’m starting to rethink this entire thing.”

 

“You made a deal, and if you bail on it, I’ll throw the biggest goddamn scene,” Tony growled. 

 

Stephen held his hands up. “Alright, alright. Let’s just calm down and not talk until we land in California.”

 

Tony nodded and slumped back, pulling out his phone to pass the time. The attendant lady began calling people to board soon after, and Stephen and Tony boarded together in silence, as if they were total strangers. Stephen sat at the window seat, while Tony sat next to him in the middle seat. A middle-aged woman with blonde hair sat next to Tony - she had on headphones and her iPad - definitely not going to interact with the two of them. Tony sighed as he dug through his bag and pulled out his own headphones, putting them on. His music droned out the sound of the flight attendant reminding the passengers of plane safety. Out of the corner of Tony’s eye, he saw Stephen resting his elbow against the right armrest and staring out the window, watching the plane take off. The light from the sky highlighted his profile, and Tony would be lying if he didn’t think about how beautiful it was - and he blushed immediately after those thoughts entered his mind. He took a deep breath and focused on his music - a mixture of classic rock and pop punk, as well as his phone app, where he played solitaire and sudoku to pass the time.

 

Two hours went by, and Tony could feel his eyes get heavy. He glanced at the taller man next to him, who was occupied by his book. Tony turned his head back to face the front, and closed his eyes. It wasn’t long before he had passed out, drifting to sleep while his music played out in his ears.

 

Stephen didn’t feel any drowsiness - he was still preoccupied in his book. He knew Tony had been sleeping for awhile now - he was amazed. Stephen had such difficulty going to sleep on plane rides. 

 

As he turned the page of his book, he felt a weight on his shoulder. Stephen turned his head to find a still-asleep Tony leaned against him - he must have shifted. Stephen thought about waking him - but decided against it - it wasn’t a huge issue and if he was being honest, he didn’t mind it - as long as he wasn’t speaking to him. And if he was going to be  _ really  _ honest, Tony looked quite adorable.

 

Stephen smiled faintly, turning his head to continue reading his book.

 

***

 

Tony felt a nudge, waking him up. 

 

“Afternoon, sleepyhead - we’ve landed.” Stephen muttered, moving his shoulder up and down. Tony’s eyes widened as his head shot up - and his face blushed. 

 

“Er, sorry - how long was I like that?” Tony asked, rubbing his hand behind his neck.

 

“About three hours.” Stephen started gathering his stuff.

 

“You didn’t move me?”

 

“You seemed tired - I wasn’t bothered by it - I’m not gonna wake someone up because they used me as a pillow.” Stephen responded, looking at Tony. “You did sleep a long time.”

 

“I don’t like planes that much - I tend to knock myself out so I don’t freak out.”

 

“Hmm, that’s interesting.” Stephen nudged Tony, motioning towards the aisle. “Come on, we’re movin, grab your stuff.”

 

They didn’t check their bags to save some money, so they stuffed it into the overhead compartment, in the way out, Stephen turned to Tony.

 

“So, Stark, how are we getting to the hotel?”

 

“I got us a driver. Figured it’d be easier than renting a car, considering everything is at the hotel.” Tony explained. “He should be at baggage claim, waiting for us.”

 

A man stood by the entrance of the baggage claim, holding up a sign that said “Stark.” Tony smiled at Stephen and continued along, greeting the man.

 

“Hello, I’m your driver today, Happy. You must be Mr. Stark. Is this your other passenger?” Happy motioned towards Stephen.

 

“Yes - you know where we are going?” Tony asked, and Happy nodded.

 

“Yes - I have it in my GPS, all ready to go. Let’s go to the car.” Happy beckoned for the two men to follow him.

 

They went outside the sliding doors - and it was absolutely beautiful. It was hot, of course, but it was just gorgeous. And the drive to the hotel was even more breathtaking. Tony sat in the front, talking to Happy about random things, while Stephen sat in the back and stared out the window.

 

When they arrived at the hotel, Happy pulled out their luggage and handed it to them. “You men have a good day - it was a pleasure.”

 

“You too.” Tony gave him a notable tip, and Stephen took notice of that - Tony was not the cheap kind of guy. Happy smiled and thanked him, before getting into the car and driving off. Tony turned to Stephen. “You ready? We’ll probably run into Steve, so…”

 

“All ready. Let’s go.” Stephen grabbed his luggage and the two walked into the hotel - and unsurprisingly, Steve was in the lobby with his fiancé. He noticed Tony right away and jogged over to give him a hug.

 

“Tony! I’m so glad you’re here! It’s been so long.” Steve smiled, and Tony nodded.

 

“Yeah, it has been. We need to stay in touch more. Thanks for the invite.” Tony replied, and Steve smiled wider.

 

“It’s no problem!” Steve beckoned for his fiancé to join him. “This is James - but everyone calls him Bucky.”

 

“Pleasure to meet you, Tony - Steve has told me all about you.” Bucky held out his hand - which Tony shook.

 

“All good things, I hope?” He laughed, and Steve nodded, then glanced at Stephen and raised an eyebrow. Tony realized that he hadn’t introduced him yet. “Oh, excuse me! Steve, Bucky, this is my boyfriend, Stephen!” Tony interlocked his arm with Stephen’s, who smiled naturally. He held out his unoccupied hand and shook Steve and Bucky’s hands.

 

“Hello, it’s a pleasure to meet the two of you, congratulations.” Stephen told them.

 

“It’s good to meet you too, Stephen. I hadn’t caught up with Tony in ages - and I wasn’t sure if he found someone yet. I know Tony was against the whole relationships thing - but I sent a plus one just in case.” Steve smiled, and Tony lowered his head, muttering a “that was a long time ago.” Stephen took note and quickly grabbed Tony’s hand and squeezed it. 

 

“Well, he definitely has someone now. We’ve been together for five months now - and it’s been fantastic.” He smiled and Tony glanced up, the corners of his mouth lifting ever so slightly.

 

“Well, that’s great! Such a change from the Tony I knew.” Steve grinned, patting Tony on the back. “You guys should get checked in and then meet us by the pool later! Buck and I are just greeting everyone in the lobby.”

 

“Sounds great.” Stephen nodded.

 

“Wait, Steve, did you invite-“

 

“The crew? Absolutely. Some of them are here already.”

 

Tony smiled. The crew was him and his old college friends used to call themselves. The group consisted of Rhodey, Natasha, Steve, Wanda, and Bruce. They hung out practically everyday, but after graduation, they all lost touch. It should be great to see them.

 

Tony walked up to the counter, telling the receptionist his name. She handed him some room keys and a pamphlet and told him that he was room 327, located on the third floor. The two began walking towards the elevator.

 

“You’re a natural - kind of scares me a bit.” Tony noted, chuckling as he pushed the elevator button.

 

“I noticed you froze up - just took over for you.” Stephen shrugged, stepping into the open elevator. “I also took some acting classes in high school, if that makes any difference.”

 

“Eh, Steve likes to casually remind me of my

college days like it doesn’t bother me.” Tony huffed and leaned against the elevator wall after he presses the button for the third floor. “Thanks, though.”

 

“I knew you would freeze up,” Stephen smirked. Tony shot him a glare.

 

“Excuse me?” The elevator dinged open, and Stephen walked out with Tony following suit. “You  _ knew? _ ”

 

“You freeze up when something gets personal. I notice it in sales when a client gets into an argument with you. They say something that hits close to home and you don’t know what to say.” Stephen glanced at the numbers until he found the right room. “Just something I noticed. I figured this would happen and I would have to cover your ass.”

 

Tony gritted his teeth as he unlocked the door, entering the room. He threw his stuff down. “I can’t even argue with you because you’re right and that makes me angry.”

 

Stephen smiled, a teasing twinkle in his eyes. “You just gotta not take everything personally. Then you won’t freeze up, and I won’t have to hold your hand as tight as I did.”

 

“Yeah, yeah, yeah,” Tony made a motion with his hand. “Whatever.” He turned around to Stephen and shrugged. “So, you can do whatever now. You don’t have to stick around me. I’m going to go by the pool and catch up with my friends - you can do whatever you please.”

 

“As much as I  _ hate  _ to ask, wouldn’t it make sense if I do stick around while you meet your friends?” Stephen asked.

 

“That’s up to you, I guess.”

 

“I’ll go, just in case you freeze up again.” Stephen teased, and Tony scowled.

 

“You’re the worst - I swear.”

 

“It’s your fault I’m here.” Stephen reminded, grabbing his bathing suit and going into the bathroom to change. Tony sighed as he collapsed backwards on the bed. Stephen, again, was correct. 

 

He came out of the bathroom in his suit, shirtless with a towel around his neck. Tony blinked and averted his eyes quickly, trying not to stare at the beautifully toned body that belonged to Stephen. “Ugh, can you put a shirt on? I’d rather not puke.”

 

“Save it, Tonsils, you like what you see.”

 

“That’s cute, as if!” Tony grabbed his bathing suit and went into the bathroom, closing the door and taking a deep breath -  _ holy shit.  _ He had never seen Stephen shirtless, and all of a sudden his hotness slapped him across the face. His face was flushed a brilliant red - why was the man so fucking  _ perfect?  _ Tony shook his head, turning on the faucet and splashing his face with water.  _ Fine then, _ Tony thought.  _ If he’s going to be a smug, confident ass, then so will I.  _ Tony took off his shirt - proudly displaying his hard work over the many visits to the gym. He put on his suit bottoms and then ran a hand through his hair, making it as messy as possible.

 

He opened the door and Stephen glanced up - and for a brief moment he swore he saw those eyes go up and down his body several times. Tony smirked as he grabbed his towel. “Let’s go, Stephanie.”

 

Stephen rolled his eyes as he followed Tony to the elevator - it was going to be a  _ long  _ weekend.

 

Tony pressed the button and slung his towel over his shoulder. “Alright, listen Strange, just a few minor things I should mention.” He told him, walking into the now open elevator. “My old friends from college are probably going to grill you with questions so just...just do your thing. Wow them.”

 

“You act like that’s something I won’t be able to pull off.”

 

“Oh no, I  _ know _ you can pull it off. Just make sure you’re consistent.” Tony explained, and the elevator dinged and they walked out. “I don’t know who’s there, Rogers only said some, so.”

 

“I get you, Stark. Relax, I know what I came here to do, it was to make you not seem loser-ish.” Stephen smirked and Tony scoffed.

 

The two walked towards the pool, opening the doors to the outside area. Immediately, Tony spotted Natasha, relaxing with a drink in her hand, talking to Rhodey. Bruce was next to them, reading a book and lounging in a chair. Tony motioned Stephen to follow him, and walked towards the three.

 

“Hey kids, how’s it going?” Tony called out, and Natasha looked over and got up immediately.

 

“Tony! Oh my god! Hi!” She ran over and hugged Tony, squealing a bit. Rhodey and Bruce got up and followed, a little more nonchalant. 

 

“Tony, it’s good to see you.” Bruce hugged Tony after Natasha was done.

 

“Good to see you too, Bruce, Nat.” Tony smiled as he looked towards Rhodey. “Rhodey, my fuckin’ man, how’s it hanging?” Him and Rhodey did that bro-hug, the one with the grabbing of the hands and the pat on the back.

 

“Good, Tones. It’s good to see you here.” He casted a glance at Stephen. “And who is this?”

 

“I’m Stephen Strange, Tony’s date.” Stephen replied, flashing a smile.

 

“Oooh!” Natasha squealed. “Tony has a  _ date?” _

 

“Boyfriend, actually.” Tony corrected, interlocking his arm with Stephen.

 

“Boyfriend? God Tones, I thought you were against the whole-“

 

“I’ve since changed, it’s been awhile.” Tony interrupted, and he smiled up at Stephen. “And then I meant this one at the office.”

 

“Oh! And office romance? How cute!” Natasha commented, and held her hand out for Stephen to shake. “I’m Natasha! I’m one of Tony’s friends from college.”

 

“Nice to meet you.” He shook her hand. He turned to Bruce and Rhodey and shook their hands as well.

 

“I’m Bruce, and Rhodey and I were also friends of Tony’s in college.” Bruce smiled, and Stephen nodded.

 

“It’s really great to see you guys again.” Tony smiled wide. “Where’s Wanda?”

 

“Not here yet - she’s supposed to be coming, though,” Natasha shrugged. “Who knows - you know she’s always late to everything.”

 

The group laughed. “Remember when she was an hour late to the chem final?” Bruce recalled, and the group laughed again.

 

Stephen stood next to Tony, arms still interlocked - he obviously could not relate to the stories between the friends as he wasn’t there, but seeing Tony have a good time was...nice - he hadn’t really seen this side of Tony before, laughing with friends and having a good time - it was just...nice.

 

Hours passed - Tony and Stephen took their spots lounging on the chairs next to the group - Steve had walked by and asked how they all were before disappearing to the next crowd. The group had reconciled, discussing their lives and what they were up to. Natasha was an elementary school teacher who occasionally went internationally to teach English, Bruce was a pharmaceutical scientist, creating medicine for people, and Rhodey was a Police Officer for his town. Tony told them how he worked for Shield’s Tech, and they were all pretty impressed that he landed a job at one of the top technological companies of the nation.

 

“It was awesome - I got a great job and I met an amazing guy on top of it.” Tony grinned at Stephen, who smiled back.

 

“Well, you guys are quite the hot couple - I’m sure Rogers was absolutely shocked when he saw you with him.” Natasha commented, and Tony let out a laugh.

 

“I’m just glad he sent a plus one, would have been a shame if I couldn’t show him off, huh?” Tony beamed and chuckled. “But yeah, he seemed a little shocked, as did all of you.”

 

“Yeah, I gotta say, Tony, you never wanted a relationship. After Steve - you were just done.” Bruce commented, taking a sip of his drink. “I’m glad you grew out of that.”

 

Tony blushed slightly and shrugged. “Well-uh, I guess Stephen just sort of changed all of that.”

 

“Nice recovery.” Stephen muttered in his ear. Tony shot him a look, before turning back to the group.

 

“It’s a good thing - growing out of it.” Tony forced a smile - and Stephen made a mental note to casually mention this conversation later.

 

“That’s good, Tones, I’m glad you’ve found someone.” Rhodey smiled and leaned over to pay Tony on the shoulder.

 

“Yeah, me too.”

 

***

 

The rest of the day was relaxing and laid back - it was only the day before the wedding, after all. The sun began to set and everyone was still at the pool, lounging and catching up. Tony yawned as he sat up and stretched.

 

“I’m going to go shower,” he mentioned to Stephen. He turned to everyone else. “I’ll see you all tomorrow at the wedding - it should be fun.”

 

“Absolutely, can’t wait to see you again.” Natasha waved as Tony grabbed his towel and turned back to Stephen.

 

“You have your key?”

 

“Yeah, just go shower, I’ll meet up with you later.” Stephen responded, not looking up from his book. Tony nodded and headed up to the room. It was easier than he thought - pretending to date Stephen. It seemed natural - which was weird to think about. Tony knew that inevitable conversation that Stephen was going to have with him later, probably about his past feelings about relationships that he still  _ kinda sorta  _ had.

 

The shower was nice - after all, it was a five star hotel. Tony stepped out and dried himself off. He brought his clothes into the bathroom in case Stephen walked in. He changed into another pair of jeans and a t-shirt. He was exhausted, still not used to the time zone changes - he might pass out soon. He looked at the time - it was eight o’clock, making it eleven o’clock on the east coast. He was  _ wiped. _

 

Tony heard a click and the door swung open, revealing a shirtless Stephen with his hair soaked.

 

“You went into the pool?” He asked.

 

“Well, after you left, I figured I didn’t need to socialize with your old friends so I jumped in.” Stephen answered, rubbing his hair with his towel. “How is the shower?”

 

“Five stars. Good time. I’m gonna set up my bed and probably pass out.”

 

“Alright. Wait-“ Stephen turned to Tony. Tony raised an eyebrow. “What were all of your friends talking about? Like, you not being a relationship guy.”

 

Tony sighed - he knew this was coming.

 

“I mean, you don’t have to talk about it if you don’t want to, I was just curious.” Stephen continued, leaning against the door.

 

“No, it’s fine. While Steve and I were dating, I wasn’t really feeling the relationship anymore. I found it taxing - so I broke it off. It wasn’t bad or anything, obviously. But for the rest of my college years, I refused to even let myself get close to people - I was mainly just hooking up and stuff - easier for me.” Tony explained, shrugging.

 

“Oh, well, do you still feel that way? It kind of...seemed like you did,” Stephen noted.

 

Tony sighed again. “Kind of. I haven’t had the opportunity of a relationship again. But I think I’d be fine. I know I have definitely grown out of the “one night stands to reduce stress” phase I had.”

 

Stephen smiled softly. “Well, that’s always good. I had that same kind of phase too. Gay bars and shit - so you ain’t alone in that field.”

 

“Glad to know I’m not the only former slut.” Tony let out an amused laugh. “You should go shower, you stink.”

 

“You sure you’re not smelling yourself?” Stephen teased, before opening the bathroom door. “If you’re passed out by the time I get out, then goodnight.”

 

“Night, Stephanie.”

 

Stephen shook his head, amused as can be, before walking into the bathroom door and closing it. As Tony laid down in his makeshift floor bed, he heard the sounds of the shower go on. He turned onto his side and thought about the day - it wasn’t as bad as he thought.

 

Maybe he  _ could  _ handle a weekend with his arrogant coworker.

  
  
  
  
  


**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thank you guys for your endless support <3


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yet another long ass chapter!! This one was so fun to write omg.

Tony blinked awake - his vision blurred and trying to focus on the television that was faintly playing. He sat up, rubbing his eyes as he yawned, and turned to his right to see Stephen sitting up on the bed watching some morning news show.

 

“Hey, Stephanie, good morning.” Tony stated as he stood up. Stephen glanced over to him.

 

“Mornin, Tonsils. Did this wake you?” He asked before shrugging. “If it did, I don’t care.”

 

“No, no, it didn’t wake me.” He stretched, and the hem of his shirt lifted slightly upwards. Stephen’s eyes lingered at the exposed skin, his eyes darting away once he realized what he was doing. Tony, oblivious, ran a hand through his messy hair and walked into the bathroom, shutting the door behind him. He splashed some water on his face to wake him up and brushed his teeth. He put on his bathing suit that was hung up on the rack before exiting the bathroom and walking up to the man on the bed.

 

“Stephanie, here’s the game plan for today-”

 

“Stop calling me-”

 

“Shut up, let me finish,” Tony retorted, and surprisingly, Stephen shut his mouth, rolling his eyes. “As I was trying to say, the wedding ceremony isn’t until five. Then the reception is afterwards, and we obviously have dinner and drinks and all of that good shit. So, until then, you’re free to do whatever. Though I suggest you come back here early to, you know, get ready and shit.”

 

Stephen blinked as he let out a chuckle. “I honestly don’t know what there is to do here.”

 

“Well, there’s the pool, obviously. And you’re more than welcome to stay in the hotel room and do whatever. I just ask that you don’t rent any movies because it’s on my card.”

 

“Relax,” Stephen held a hand up. “It’s a beautiful day, I’m not going to spend it inside watching T.V. What are you gonna do?”

 

“I’m going to be at the pool probably, but I’m gonna get breakfast first.” Tony replied, pulling his phone out of the charger. “There’s a breakfast buffet downstairs I think, if you would like to come with me, you can - considering some people that I may know might be there.”

 

“I could use some breakfast.” Stephen stretched his arms out wide and yawned as he sat up. He grabbed his bathing suit and went into the bathroom. Tony’s eyes followed the man as he walked by - his hair was also messy in a slightly endearing way. 

 

A few minutes passed and Stephen stepped out of the bathroom, bathing suit on. “Alright, let’s get food, I’m starving.”

 

“We’re going, relax.” Tony couldn’t help but chuckle and opened the door and walked into the hallway, Stephen following suit. He pressed the elevator button and leaned against the wall as he waited.

 

“You know, when I said that you can do whatever, I really mean it, you don’t have to be around me the entire time.” Tony told the taller man, who laughed and nodded.

 

“I know, I know,” He smirked. “I  _ just _ want to make sure you don’t accidentally ruin everything.”

 

“If I were to ruin it, it wouldn’t affect you in anyway shape or form. I would be the one humiliated, you would still be the one with the free vacation, so I have no idea why you’re so hung up on me failing. And besides,” Tony continued, him and Stephen entering the empty elevator. “Don’t you  _ thrive _ on me failing?”

 

Stephen snorted, shaking his head. “This is different - you’re asking me for a favor - and I shook on it. I don’t welch on deals, I complete them to the fullest, even if that means having to spend time with you.”

 

“Oh,  _ that’s  _ the reason.” A smirk appeared on Tony’s face. “Are you sure it’s not that I’m just absolutely amazing to be around?”

 

“Don’t get carried away, now.”

 

“I think that’s the reason.”

 

“Think whatever you’d like, it’s just not factual.” Stephen retorted, walking through the now open doors. “Remember you’re the one who asked me out on a fake date.”

 

“I had no other choice!” Tony called out, barreling after him. Stephen held a hand up and laughed.

 

“Relax,  _ honey _ ,” he pronounced “honey” in a mocking way. “I’m only kidding.”

 

“Ugh, I can’t believe I-”

 

“Tony!” A familiar voice called out, and Tony spun around to see Wanda, his friend from college. 

 

“Wanda! Hey! You made it!” Tony smiled and held his arms out for a hug, which she graciously accepted. 

 

“Yes! My flight was actually delayed until this morning. Wasn’t my fault this time, I swear!” She squealed, rubbing the back of her neck. Tony chuckled - typical Wanda. She glanced over to Stephen and made a motion towards him. “I saw you talking to him - who is he? He’s kinda cute.”

 

“That’s because he’s my boyfriend.” Tony answered immediately - in fact, a little  _ too  _ immediate for his own liking. “Stephen!” He called out. “Get over here.”

 

Stephen came over and smiled in Wanda’s direction. “Hello, I’m Stephen, Tony’s partner.”

 

“Hi, nice to meet you, I’m Wanda,” She waved and turned back to Tony. “I’m so glad you finally found someone.”

 

“Oh, me too,” Tony grinned and grabbed Stephen’s hand. “He’s just amazing.” He glanced up at Stephen and... was Stephen  _ blushing _ ?

 

“Aw, stop it,” Stephen smiled, his blush soon fading. “It’s really nice to meet you, though.”

 

“Oh, yes. So Tony,” she began. “What have you been up to?”

 

“I’ve been working for Shield’s Tech in the sales department. I work in the New York branch. Along with this guy.” Tony nudged Stephen with his elbow, their hands still wrapped tightly around each other. “What about you, Wanda?”

 

“Oh, I’ve been kind of traveling, I haven’t really found what I wanted to do yet. I did meet someone, though, but he couldn’t make it.”

 

“That’s great, Wanda. I’m glad. Did you see Rhodey and the others?” Tony asked.

 

“Oh yes, I did! It was so good to see them, I hadn’t seen them in so long.” Wanda’s eyes sparkled as she recalled some memories. “We really should stay in touch more, I miss you all and our fun together. Remember that one time where it was three a.m and we were up watching movies so we ordered food but we all had passed out once it arrived?”

 

Tony laughed, and even Stephen couldn’t hold back a chuckle. “I do, oh my god, what a night. That poor delivery guy was waiting out there for a half an hour trying to call Rhodey’s phone that was on silent.”

 

“Good times,” Wanda sighed and smiled, before giving Tony another hug. “Alright, I’m gonna go, I’ll see you at the wedding. It was nice to meet you, Stephen.”

 

Stephen waved and she walked away. He turned to Tony. “You didn’t freeze up, what a champ.”

 

“Eh, I’m used to it by now, and besides, that’s all of them. The rest don’t know my relationship history,” Tony shrugged. “I’m hungry, can we eat now?”

 

“Yes, I’ve been waiting,” Stephen squeezed Tony’s hand, and the two looked down at their still attached hands. They were still holding them from when Wanda came over, and Tony didn’t even realize. Stephen quickly pulled his hand away, as did Tony and the two turned slightly pink and looked away from each other.

 

“Well,” Tony cleared his throat. “Let’s uh, let’s get breakfast.”

 

“Yeah, let’s go.”

 

***

 

The sun was beating down hard on a brilliant August day - perfect for a wedding. Tony lounged by the poolside in a chair, while Stephen was in the pool, taking laps. Tony found himself studying Stephen and gawking over his form while swimming - it was perfect - was Stephen ever a swimmer? He’d have to ask about that.

 

He didn’t know much about the man at all - only that he worked at Shield’s Tech and was a snarky bitch. Tony didn’t  _ want _ to know about the man, either - knowing about him would mean becoming closer and Tony definitely did not want to be any closer to this man than this weekend.

 

But even with this…  _ scorn _ that he felt towards the taller man, he still found himself constantly thinking about him - even at that moment. Thinking about Stephen.

 

He sighed as he leaned his head back, trying not to build up stress. It was wedding day - it was going to be fun, and that bar was to die for - Tony could not wait to get absolutely smashed. It would make the whole fake-dating probably a lot easier.

 

He heard the dripping of water on the pool concrete and lifted his sunglasses, squinting his eyes to see a fully-soaked Stephen standing above him. The sunlight bounced off of his somewhat-pale skin and beautifully traced his muscles. Quickly, Tony put his sunglasses back on and darted his eyes away. “Welcome back, wetso.”

 

“Pool’s great, you should really go in instead of laying here like a piece of bacon.”

 

“Nice to know you think I’m sizzling.” Tony smirked, and Stephen shook his head.

 

“No, I’m saying you’re burning and turning to a crisp. Did you even put on sunscreen?”

 

Tony sat up and looked down at his slightly burned body. “Shit, you’re right. I am burned. And I did put on sunscreen.” Tony stood up and put on his shirt.

 

Stephen took his towel from the chair and began drying himself off. “Do you have the time?”

 

“Uh yeah, it’s time for you to get a watch.”

 

“Ha, ha, seriously.” Stephen sarcastically grumbled. Tony took out his phone and pressed it. 

 

“It’s about three thirty.”

 

“We should probably start getting ready. I mean, I don’t know what you have to do but I kind of want to clean up and take a shower.” Stephen told him, grabbing his stuff.

 

“I’ll come up with you, I might as well get out of the sun.” Tony shrugged and also grabbed his things and started walking towards the doors back into the hotel. “Eh, this burn will turn into a tan pretty quickly, I’m not really worried about it.”

 

“I don’t think I asked if you were worried about it.”

 

“Oh sorry, just thought it was implied when you mentioned it before.” Tony grinned, his eyes casting a teasing glance as he pushed the button to the elevator. 

 

“Like I would worry about you,” Stephen chuckled. “That’s cute.”

 

“I know I’m cute, thank you.” Tony grinned and stood up straight, and Stephen sighed and shook his head.

 

“Alright, whatever you want to be.” He huffed, and stepped through the open doors and down the hall to the room. Tony followed him, his eyes finding his way to Stephen’s backside, before darting away quickly - his face felt a familiar warmth. He  _ had _ to stop staring at Stephen.

 

Stephen opened the door and threw his stuff on the bed and immediately went into the bathroom. Tony walked into the room and sat on the bed, turning on the T.V to a news channel. The lady was droning on about some political thing, and Tony changed the channel to what appeared to be the Food network. That would do.

 

Tony relaxed on the bed, waiting for Stephen to get out of the bathroom. When he emerged, he wore nothing but a towel around his waist, and Tony glanced up from the show he was watching. He quickly looked back down, trying to suppress a blush. “What do you need?” He managed to spit out.

 

Stephen paid no attention to Tony’s obvious sputtering, ignoring it as he calmly answered. “I needed my suit, you know, for the wedding. I forgot to bring it into the bathroom.”

 

“Oh, well, okay.” Tony focused intently on the T.V, but his mind was racing. Stephen grabbed his suit and went into the bathroom, and Tony let out a breath of relief.

 

_ What the fuck was that? _ Tony asked himself, looking down.  _ He comes out of the shower half naked and suddenly I’m sputtering like a teenage girl? _

 

He shook his head - the heat was probably making him this way. Maybe he needed a nice, cold shower to clear his thoughts. 

 

Stephen emerged a few moments later, neatly dressed in his suit. “Bathroom’s all yours, Tonsils.”

 

“You’re such a hypocrite, you know that, right?” Tony told him as he passed by him to grab his own suit.

 

“Mhm, how so?”

 

“You hate it when I call you Stephanie, yet you call me Tonsils.”

 

“I only call you Tonsils because you call me Stephanie.”

 

“Well I-” Tony stopped. “This could go on forever and I need to shower. Nevermind.”

 

Stephen smirked and turned back around. “Enjoy.”

 

Tony stepped into the bathroom and turned on the shower to a colder setting. He took a deep breath and undressed himself, stepping into the shower. He washed his hair gently with the hotel shampoo - noticing that it was almost empty because of Stephen - he would have to yell at him when he got out. He stepped out after turning the water off and dried off his hair. 

 

Tony wrapped a towel around his waist and pulled out a trimmer - turning it on and gently shaping his bears, sharpening the edges near his jawline. Tony smiled as he studied his face - he loved when he fixed himself up - he knew he looked good. And when he came out with his suit on - he  _ knew  _  Stephen would stare, and that caused a smirk to appear on his face. 

 

Tony put on his suit, puffing up his collar to put his tie on. He flashed a smile to his reflection - he looked  _ damn  _ good. He sprayed just a tad of cologne and opened the bathroom door, and Stephen turned to look. Stephen’s mouth parted slightly as his eyes trailed down Tony and back up, and Tony smirked -  _ just what he wanted. _

 

“You ready, Stephanie?” He asked, and Stephen rolled his eyes as he walked towards Tony.

 

“Yes, Tonsils. All ready.” The taller man reached pass Tony to grab the door, opening it and walking out, Tony following close behind.

 

“The ceremony is outside, in one of the courtyards, then the reception is in one of those giant rooms.” Tony informed, walking alongside his pretend date, fixing his cufflinks. “There should be signs once we get down to the lobby.”

 

“I am aware.” Stephen pushed the button for the elevator - and to his surprise it opened immediately. The two stepped in and Stephen pressed the button for the lobby. “You know, the last wedding I went to was for my old friend about a couple of years ago.”

 

“I’ve been to one other wedding,” Tony recalled. “I was younger though - probably fifteen. It was for my aunt.”

 

“Hmph, interesting.” Stephen exhaled, walking out of the open doors. “I like weddings - they’re fun. And you can get hammered without being judged.”

 

“I like your way of thinking.”

 

“I think that’s the first time I’ve ever heard you say you liked anything of mine.” Stephen chuckled as he stuffed his hands in his suit jacket pockets.

 

“Don’t get used to it.” Tony muttered, glancing up at the taller man. 

 

“Oh, you never let me enjoy anything,” Stephen purred. “Always gotta take back what you say.”

 

“I didn’t ‘take it back,’ I simply told you to not expect it in the future.” 

 

Stephen snorted but said nothing and continued walking. Tony spotted a familiar figure making their way towards them. He leaned his head and whispered to Stephen: “grab my hand.”

 

Stephen obliged, wrapping his fingers around Tony’s as Steve walked up to them - in a beautiful white tuxedo. “Tony!”

 

“Steve!” Tony let go of Stephen’s hand for a brief moment to hug his ex before bringing his hand back down and returning it. “Congratulations - it’s a big day, how do you feel.”

 

“Oh fuck, I feel nervous.” Steve nervously laughed.

 

“Rogers? Cursing? Damn you must be heels to head shaking.” Tony joked, lightheartedly.

 

“I love Bucky so much - I’m just so nervous I’m gonna mess up giving the vows or something.”

 

Tony used his unoccupied hand and grabbed Steve’s shoulder. “Listen, Steve, you’re gonna be fine. Just enjoy yourself today, you’re getting married for god’s sake!”

 

Steve smiled as he took a couple of calming breaths. “You’re right. Thanks Tony.” He glanced at Stephen, who mutters a congratulations. “Thanks as well, Stephen.”

 

“No problem, Steve.”

 

Steve began walking away, only stopping for a brief moment to turn around and flash a smile. “Maybe next time I see you, it’ll be at  _ your  _ wedding.”

 

Tony’s eyes widened as he turned his head towards Stephen - his facial expression matching Tony’s. A blush appeared on both their faces - and Tony began to sputter. “Uh-uh, yeah, maybe.”

 

Steve shook his head and laughed. “I’m only teasing, Tony, relax. See you all later.” He turned back around and continued walking, greeting another group of guests on the way to the ceremony. Tony released Stephen’s hand and turned away from him, trying to suppress his fairly obvious red face. His breathing was becoming more rapid, and Stephen raised an eyebrow.

 

“Relax Tonsils, we’re - we’re not getting married.” Stephen tried to reassure Tony. Tony held a finger up and shook his head, before covering his face with his hands. “Tony, are you okay?”

 

“I’m-I’m fine.” Tony choked out, trying to take deep breaths. “I’m sorry, I just got freaked out a bit. You know how I kinda am about relationships? Yeah it’s even worse when I think about marriage.”

 

A concerned look spread upon Stephen’s face. “I get that, just keep breathing and try to distract yourself.”

 

“Stephen, we’re at a wedding.”

 

Stephen’s face turned pale as he sighed. “Fuck, you’re right.” He grabbed Tony’s shoulders. “Breathe, alright? Everything is fine.  _ We  _ aren’t getting married, we aren’t even in a relationship. You are a single man, you have time.”

 

Tony took a deep breath, feeling his anxiety ease a bit. There was something about Stephen’s eyes that were so -  _ calming _ . It caused another blush to appear on his face. “Thank you.”

 

“Just enjoy today, it’s a wedding, it’s a happy time. We can drink later and get plastered and forget everything.” Stephen patted Tony twice on the back. “Come on, let’s go, it’s going to start soon.”

 

Tony nodded and Stephen held out his hand for Tony to take, and he took it, interlocking his fingers with the taller man’s. The two walked through the doors and outside - the look was phenomenal. There were rows of white chairs sitting symmetrically across a paved aisle. There was a white arch in the front, complete with flowers - it was absolutely exquisite. 

 

Tony and Stephen grabbed seats in the middle row near the edge. The rest of the seats began to fill up and the minister took his place. Music began to softly play as friends of the two grooms made their way down the aisle arm and arm, followed by the main couple themselves. Steve and Bucky wore matching white tuxes and had the biggest grins plastered on their faces as they stepped up to the arch, holding their hands while facing one another.

 

The minister cleared his throat. “We are gathered here today to welcome Steven Grant Rogers and James Buchanan Barnes as they take their hands in marriage. In the years they have been together, their love and understanding of each other has grown and matured, and now they have decided to live their lives together as husbands. Today is a time of celebration for the love and happiness of life. We will begin with the wedding vows. Steven, will you please state your vows?”

 

Steve let go of Bucky’s hand and smiled deeply. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a folded up piece of paper and began to read. “Buck, from the moment I met you, it was absolutely magical. We locked eyes and I melted into them - and then you smiled at me with that amazing, dazzling grin of yours, and my heart soared. On our first date, you told me crazy stories about your family, your childhood, and all the while you were laughing. Your laugh could make even the saddest people brighten up. Being with you has been the best years of my life, and I cannot wait for the many more to come, my love, my life, and my soulmate.”

 

Tony clutched his heart - he forgot how emotional weddings were. Out of the corner of his eye, he saw Stephen smile.

 

The minister turned towards Bucky and smiled. “James, you may now say your vows.”

 

Bucky took a deep breath. “I did write something, but I have decided that I want to speak directly from my heart. Steve, you walked into the party scene that night and it was like a spotlight shined on you. I was drawn to it, like a moth to a light. Our first date you were nothing but an amazing, attentive listener who just reacted to all of my stories. Our second date was even more magical, when you took me to some carnival and it made me feel like we were teens again. The past few years have been nothing but kind and filled with love, and doll, I want to spend the rest of my damn life with you.”

 

“We will now begin the exchange of rings.” The minister announced, and the ring bearer gave the two rings to the two men. “Steve, repeat after me. ‘I, Steven, give you, James, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.’”

 

“I, Steven, give you, James, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.” He smiled as he put the ring on Bucky’s finger.

 

“James, repeat after me. ‘I, James, give you, Steven, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.’”

 

Bucky took a deep breath. “I, James, give you, Steven, this ring as an eternal symbol of my love and commitment to you.” He slid the ring on Steve’s finger.

 

“Steve, do you take James to be your lawfully wedded husband? If so, please say ‘I do.’” The minister told Steve.

 

“I do.”

 

“And do you, James, take Steve to be your lawfully wedded husband? If so, please say ‘I do.”

 

Bucky grinned, a hint of a tear sliding down his face. “I sure do.”

 

The minister smiled a heartfelt smile and continued. “Then by the authority vested in me by the State of California, I now pronounce you husband and husband. You may now have your first kiss as a married couple.”

 

The two smiled as they closed the gap between them, Bucky wrapping his arms around Steve’s neck. They parted and turn towards the guests, who were all whooping and clapping, and walked back down the aisle.

 

Tony took several breaths as he tried to suppress some tears, clapping his heart away. It was truly a wonderful ceremony to witness.

 

The guest followed the grooms into the cocktail area, and the bar began to form a line. Tony immediately made his way towards the bar - he needed a drink. Stephen followed suit, also needing a drink.

 

“If you get drunk, who’s gonna take care of me when I can’t even walk?” Tony laughed and asked Stephen, who rolled his eyes.

 

“Even if I wasn’t going to drink, I wouldn’t take care of you.” Stephen retorted, crossing his arms.

 

“Right, mmhmm, face it Stephanie, you’re a caring person and you wouldn't in your right conscience leave a drunk person alone.”

 

“You got me there.”

 

“Stephen Strange? Admitting defeat? Oh no, are you alright?” Tony mocked, nudging his pretend date. “You want a Screwdriver?

 

“Everytime you speak, it makes me want to stick my head in a blender. And yeah.”

 

“It would be a real shame if that were to happen.” Tony smirked, before turning to the bartender. “Screwdriver for me and for him, please.”

 

The bartender made the drinks and gave them to the two men, and they took them and walked away from the bar, sipping away at their drinks a little faster than normal.

 

“Tony! Stephen!” A voice called out, and the two turned around. Wanda and Natasha came up to them, both wearing beautiful dresses.  

 

“Hey guys.” Tony greeted, giving them each a hug. Stephen waved and smiled.

 

“That wedding was the cutest thing I’ve ever seen.” Wanda squealed, and Natasha agreed. “Bucky and Steve are just PERFECT for each other!”

 

“Agreed, was a beautiful ceremony. What did you guys think?” Natasha asked.

 

“It was well done, they seem very much in love.” Stephen commented, and Tony nodded.

 

“It made me a little emotional, not going to lie.” Tony let out a small chuckle.

 

Natasha grinned from ear to ear. “Me too, I’m so glad I wore waterproof mascara, I was sobbing like a little baby. Ask Wanda.”

 

“Oh, she was, but like, so was I, so it’s alright.” The two women shared a giggle. “Alright, we’re gonna go get some drinks. You guys enjoy yourselves!”

 

“See you.”

 

The two girls left to get in line, and both men took a swig of their drinks - both finishing it. 

 

“Guess we gotta get in line again.” Stephen smirked, staring at both of their glasses.

 

“We might as well just stay there until cocktail hour is over.” 

 

“Good idea.”

 

***

 

The reception was in a giant ballroom located in the hotel. There was a DJ up front and a bunch of tables scattered throughout the area. Tony and Stephen, of course, were seated together, they were “dates” after all. Dinner was served about an hour before, and Tony sat at the table, panting from dancing his ass off. Stephen was...somewhere, Tony couldn’t quite locate him. Tony had quite the number of drinks and already was feeling woozy, not even noticing a figure take a seat right next to him.

 

“Tired? You were going ham out there.” Steve’s familiar voice snapped Tony’s head up.

 

“Oh...Steve...yeah, I was. Congratu...Congratumalations. On your… your uh, wedding!” Tony rambled, his drunkenness fairly obvious.

 

Steve chuckled and shook his head. “Of course your plastered, but thank you. I’m just checking up on you.”

 

“Why would I need some checking up on?”

 

Steve shrugged. “I kinda figured you would be drunk off your rocker, so here I am making sure you’re drinking some water so you don’t have a giant ass hangover.”

 

“I’ll be just fine,” he hiccuped. Steve smiled and stood to leave. “Wait!”

 

Steve stopped, and Tony stood up. “What?”

 

“Stevie,” Tony placed a hand on Steve’s shoulder. “How do you know?”

 

Steve raised an eyebrow, “Know...what?”

 

“How do you know you have the… the  _ one? _ ”

 

Steve’s face softened and he smiled. “Oh, Tony, you just  _ know _ .”

 

“He’s on my mind constantly Stevie. Whatever I think about, he’s there. Does that mean something, does that mean he’s the one? It confuses me.”

 

“Confuses you? Tony, he’s your boyfriend, He should be on your mind constantly, that means you love him.”

 

“L-love him?” Tony’s eyes widened, as he remembered he’s supposed to be pretending. “Oh, yeah, I know, uh, but-”

 

Steve put a finger to Tony’s mouth. “You will know. You always know, I found myself thinking about Bucky constantly - always on my mind. Because I was crazy about him. Your mind knows, Tony, it knows. Listen to your mind and your heart.”

 

“Thanks, Stevie.” Tony plopped down in his seat, and Steve smiled.

 

“I’ll check up on you later if need be, see you later Tony, please drink water.”

 

“Yes mom.” Tony smirked, and took a sip of water. He glanced downwards and sighed. 

 

Stephen appeared a short while later, noticing Tony’s downcasted face. “Hey, why so down, it’s a wedding.”

 

“Love is confusing,” Tony grumbled. “Don’t you agree?”

 

“How many drinks have you had?”

 

“Seven, maybe eight.” Tony responded, leaning back and letting out a groan. “Seeing Steve so happy makes me wonder if that could ever be me in a relationship.”

 

“Oh, stop, you’re attractive, funny, charming, people would be absolute imbeciles to not love you.” Stephen told him, and Tony turned to Stephen with a raised eyebrow.

 

“How many drinks have  _ you _ had?”

 

“Twelve.” Stephen shrugged, not caring. Tony snorted, and the two silently took sips of their water.

 

The DJ announced that couples should make their way onto the dance floor, and began playing “Setting the World on Fire” by Kenny Chesney and P!nk. Tony sighed. “I hate country.”

 

“This is a good song, though.”

 

“I know.” Tony glanced up at Stephen and held his hand out. “Dance with me, Stephanie.”

 

“As you wish, Tonsils,” Stephen smiled, taking the hand and leading him out to the dance floor. The two swayed, unable to properly find a rhythm due to their drunkenness. Tony glanced around to the numerous other couples on the dance floor, all real, and for a moment, Tony stared up into the beautiful eyes of Stephen - they were electrifying. The eyes stared back at him with the same energy - and Tony had to fight his drunken urge to kiss the lips in front of him. Wait - he hated him - why would he ever?

 

The music softly played in the background as they continued to sway, with Tony eventually resting his head on Stephen’s shoulder - it was comfortable - it was  _ right. _

 

During one of the final choruses of the song, Tony picked his head up and whispered “Dip me.” Stephen obliged, dipping Tony and releasing him as he spun out and spun back into Stephen.

 

“You’re a good dancer,” Stephen noted, and Tony grinned. 

 

“I may have been bored around the house growing up, so I taught myself.” Tony smugly shared. “You aren’t so bad yourself.”

 

“Remember those acting classes I told you about? I might have had to learn to dance.”

 

“Hmm, what a nerd.” Tony teased, and released Stephen as the song ended. He glanced around the room, eyeing one of the workers rolling in the cake on the cart. “I think, I think it’s cake time. Fuck yes.”

 

“Mmm, yummy,” Stephen slurred.

 

“Let’s go sit back down,” Tony dragged Stephen towards the table. “I hope this cake is fucking delicious. I’m starving.”

 

“You just had dinner.”

 

“Shut up, bitch.”

 

***

 

Guests were starting to file out, going back to their hotel rooms to sleep the rest of the night away, some of them had to catch morning flights, Tony had set an alarm before he got plastered so he remembered to wake up - they had a twelve o’clock flight the next day.

 

Tony stumbled a bit, leaning against Stephen for support, although that was not doing much, as Stephen wasn’t too balanced either. They managed to make their way to the elevator and press the button.

 

“Thank you, Stephanie, for being my-” Tony hiccuped. “-Date.” The elevator opened and the two piled in.

 

“It was fun,” Stephen leaned against the elevator wall and exhaled. “I had fun. So much fucking fun. Weddings are fun.”

 

“Yes. I agree, so much fun, although it’s emotional as  _ fuuuuccckkk. _ ” Tony dragged out the word,

 

“I saw you crying,” Stephen teased. “You were emotional then and little emotional at the party.”

 

Tony stuck his tongue out and stumbled out of the now open elevators. “I was only emotional because I was worried that I’d never find love. There is a big difference.”

 

“Not entirely.”

 

“You know, I want to punch you in your stupid, pretty face.” Tony told him as they walked towards the room.

 

“You think my face is pretty?”

 

Before Tony could stop himself, the alcohol talked for him. “I think you’re hot as fuck and it’s not fair because I hate you.”

 

Stephen smiled as he grabbed Tony and pushed him against door to their room, hovering over them. “Funny, I have the same opinion of you. You’re so arrogant, it’s not fair for you to have such a good fucking body and face.”

 

Tony could smell the alcohol in Stephen’s breath - his face was mere inches from his. “I fucking hate you,” he hissed.

 

“Yeah,” Stephen’s voice resembled that of a low growl. “What are you gonna do about it?”

 

Tony slung his arms around Stephen’s neck and closed the gap between them, kissing with such passion and force. Stephen reciprocated immediately with the same enthusiasm, pushing Tony more against the door.

 

Tony let out a low growl against Stephen’s lips. “Open the door.”

 

Stephen, without hesitation, moved his hand to his pocket and pulled out the key. Still focused on Tony’s lips, he fumbled with sticking the key card in a couple of times, before successfully hearing the click. He slammed the door knob down and pushed door open, and the two stumbled inside, the door closing behind them.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> mmm baby we love a good ol fasioned drunk hookup!


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Final Chapter of Those Damn Wedding Bells! Woo!  
> This was just a fun little story to write, I hope you enjoy!

A familiar ring filled the air, awakening the two sleeping figures on the bed. Tony sat up and held his head, wincing in pain at the hangover he had acquired. He felt a shifting in the bed and turned his head, his eyes widening as he realized who was in the bed next to him. Stephen turned over and saw Tony staring wide-eyed and mouth agape. 

 

“ _ Please _ tell me you have clothes on.” Tony closed his eyes, pressing a fist to his forehead. “ _ Please. _ ”

 

“No, and I’m assuming you don’t either.” Stephen sighed, wincing in pain at his own hangover. 

 

“ _ Fuck. _ ”

 

The two sat up in silence, avoiding each other’s gazes. Tony’s eyes trailed down towards the floor and he saw his pants. He bent over off the bed and grabbed it, turning away from Stephen and slipping them on - still completely silent.

 

“Maybe we should talk about this.” Stephen broke the silence and Tony held a finger up.

 

“Nope, nothing to talk about.”

 

“Of course there is-”

 

“Nothing happened.” Tony stood up off the bed. “Nothing ever happened. This weekend never happened, last night never happened, nothing happened. Do you understand?”

 

“That’s ridiculous, Stark.” Stephen huffed, snatching his own pants off of the floor and putting them on. “I’m not pretending.”

 

“Why? You did this whole weekend.” Tony snapped, heading right into the bathroom, before turning around and looking at Stephen again. “Nothing happened, I don’t want to hear a word about this. I don’t. Ever.”

 

Stephen sighed and rubbed his head - he needed some aspirin. He heard the sink water running in the bathroom. Why was Tony being so defensive? He tried desperately to remember the previous night, but found that he could not.

 

“Do you recall anything? Like at all?” Stephen called out to Tony in the bathroom.

 

Tony took his toothbrush out of his mouth and spat in the sink. “Nothing happened for me to remember anything, so, I don’t quite know what you mean.”

 

“Stark, stop being a goddamn child about this-”

 

“No, you stop. I said don’t talk about it. I don’t want to. No, I don’t remember anything, because there is nothing to remember.” Tony stuck his head out the bathroom door and glared at the taller man, who held his hands up in defeat.

 

“Fine, be that way.” Stephen huffed and collapsed on the bed, taking deep breaths and trying to calm himself.  He couldn’t understand why Tony was being difficult - one night stands happen all the time - in fact, Stephen used to thrive off of them. As did Tony - why was  _ this _ one causing him to be all upset?

 

He had to respect Tony’s boundaries - although it was a little ridiculous - but he had to respect them. If Tony didn’t want to talk about it, then he won’t bring it up, even if he wanted to.

 

Stephen sighed, closing his eyes for a brief moment to clear his head. They snapped open when the sound of the bathroom door opening was heard, and a dressed Tony entered the main area in a deafening silence. Stephen took that as a hint that it was his turn to use the bathroom and get ready - they had to leave for the airport soon.

 

From the time in the bathroom to the waiting at the airplane gate, Tony muttered at most ten words to Stephen, and avoided his stare. It was frustrating for Stephen - he had to continuously fight the urge to speak to the shorter man - and hold back the urge to insult him as well. It killed him on the inside, if he was going to be honest. All he could hope for was that things would change once they got back to the office.

 

The flight home was long and dreadful - neither man falling asleep - despite Tony’s earlier claims of knocking himself out. He had asked Stephen for the window seat, and Stephen obliged and gave it to him, somewhat grateful that the man had spoken actual words to him instead of ignoring his presence as if he never existed.

 

When the plane landed, Tony didn’t say goodbye - he didn’t mutter a sarcastic comment, he didn’t even hiss a threat. He took his suitcase and walked away from Stephen to the parking lot that he was in. Stephen could do nothing but watch him go, wondering why Tony was so ashamed of admitting what had happened.

 

***

 

A week had gone by since the wedding, and the office was filled with incoherent babbling from other salespeople trying to find clients as well as printers printing and copiers making copies. Tony sat at his desk, tapping a pen on his desk as he spoke to a client on the phone. It was an older client, calling about  a potential concern over the expected delivery date of their orders, which Tony had clarified to them. He hung up the phone and focused entirely on his computer.

 

Out of the corner of his eye, he saw the man sitting across from him stand up with his mug and leave to the break room - probably to get more tea. The two hadn’t spoken a single word to each other since the wedding.

 

Tony didn’t know why he was feeling the way he was - he thought that pretending nothing had happened would be the best way to suppress whatever mess of emotions he had going on. 

 

It, of course, had only made things worse for Tony.

 

It was uncomfortable in the office, even the coworkers had sensed the tension and the uneasy silence between Stephen and Tony. They were wary of it, and Tony had spotted the occasional confused glance over to their side of the office. No shows, just silence and good work.

 

Stephen returned with his mug filled with tea and Tony glanced up, the two catching eye contact for a brief moment. Tony’s spine shuddered - those electric-blue eyes burning him up - but they were filled with worry and a hint of sadness, and feeling guilt, Tony glanced down. Stephen’s eyes lingered for a moment as he exhaled deeply, before lowering his head to continue working.

 

Five o’clock came around and Tony packed up and left, not saying a word to the man across from him. He walked in a fast paced manner towards his car and fumbled around his pockets to find his keys to unlock it.

 

“Wait,” a voice called out, and Tony turned his head.  _ Stephen. _

 

“What?” Tony glanced down, avoiding Stephen’s cold gaze.

 

“We need to talk.”

 

“There’s nothing to talk about,” Tony muttered, still glancing downwards.

 

Stephen walked forward. “Bullshit,” he growled. Tony’s head snapped up and his eyes narrowed.

 

“I  _ said _ , there is  _ nothing _ to talk about.” Tony reiterated, gritting his teeth.

 

“Yes there is. I’m sick and tired of you pretending I don’t exist. I’m sick and tired of you pretending like last weekend didn’t happen. It did. We fucked. Who gives a shit? It’s not a big deal, but you’re making it out to be one and that’s so idiotic. You told me yourself that you have had a lot of one night stands, why am  _ I  _ any different?” Stephen questioned, leaning forward. Tony’s eyes darted away.

 

“Because it just is. Now can we stop? Please?” Tony half pleaded. “I don’t want to-”

 

“-talk about it? I know, I fucking know. But can you at least talk to me?”

 

Tony’s eyes moved back towards Stephen’s. “What?”

 

“Us. You haven’t said a word to me. You haven’t called me Stephanie, you haven’t moved your shit onto my desk, you haven’t called me a cock shit, you haven’t smirked or smiled or anything.”

 

Tony remained silent, and Stephen continued.

 

“I’m Stephanie. You’re Tonsils. That’s who we are, let’s just get back to that, alright? If you want to pretend that nothing happened, fine, but actually pretend, like make things back to normal. I hate you, you hate me, boom, deal?”

“No.” Tony shook his head. Stephen raised an eyebrow.

 

“No?’

 

“I don’t hate you.” Tony informed Stephen, whose expression softened.

 

“Oh?”

 

Tony took a deep breath and turned around, facing away from Stephen. “When I first met you, I hated you, yeah, you were an arrogant shit who thought he was better than everyone else. I had all this weird anger towards you - and you were constantly on my mind.  _ Constantly _ . So constantly that I instantly thought of  _ you _ for the wedding dates. Then the wedding happened, and it felt so goddamn natural with you. I started noticing things about you I never took the time to notice before. It felt weird - because you know how I am with relationships, everyone already told you - but I didn’t worry because it wasn’t a real relationship. There was something about you, though, and I was so drawn to it. I remember dancing with you.” 

 

Tony exhaled before turning around and continuing. “Then we had sex, and it was all a drunken mess. When I woke up I knew immediately what we had done, and I felt so...terrified. I knew something was between us, I just knew it. I had known that there was always something electrifying between us, and my instinct of push away all relationships kicked in. I realized then - in that bathroom, that I liked you, and I’ve liked you this whole time, only suppressing it by claiming that I hated you. Because I was too damn paranoid about not being able to handle a relationship. So there. We can’t go back to the way things were, because they never actually were, because I never actually hated you.”

 

Stephen stared at Tony, his expression blank and unreadable. “Tony-   
  


“Don’t - I’m sorry that I made you suffer through a horrible weekend and ended up sleeping with me, and I’m sorry that we can’t be the same.”

 

“Tony, stop-”

 

Tony held a hand up as he opened his car. “That’s it, we talked-”

 

Tony was interrupted by lips pressed onto his as he leaned against the car. Stephen was cupping his cheek gently, Tony’s hands remaining in their place. Stephen pulled away.

 

“You wouldn’t really let me talk so I guess I had to show you how I felt instead.” Stephen shrugged, and Tony raised his eyebrows.

 

“Stephen…”

 

“Look. Forget a relationship right now. Let me take you on a date. Let’s get dinner. Tonight. My treat.”

 

Tony stared at the taller man, studying his face to try and read his expression. “Are you being serious?”

 

“Yes. No more pretending. I’m asking you on a date. We can decide what you want from there.” Stephen smiled wide.

 

“That would...be lovely.” Tony smiled at Stephen. “Thank you.”

 

“Let’s say Agent Restaurant? 7:00? I’ll pick you up.”

 

“Sounds good, Stephanie.”

 

Stephen smirked as he started walking to his car. “Meet you soon, Tonsils.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Please be sure to let me know in the comments what your favorite moment or quote was, or if you liked the story! I'll be responding to every single comment on this page <3
> 
> New fic is in the works as well!

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and Comments are appreciated!
> 
> Twitter: @blissfulstark
> 
> Tumblr: ironstrangepls
> 
> i apologize for any grammatical or spelling error that you may find! i reread my work alot but i don’t have a beta and sometimes I miss a few things:)


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